Editor’s Note:  In the matter of a positive that never should have been called and following subsequent social media outcry, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), has dropped charges against Thoroughbred trainer Jeffrey Englehart. Englehart had been charged after an unraced, unnamed 2-year-old in his care tested positive for clenbuterol after suffering a catastrophic breakdown during training hours at Finger Lakes Gaming & Race Track on Nov. 21, 2023.

Englehart successfully argued that the drug had been given to the horse before the animal was considered a “covered horse” and before Englehart was its trainer. His case had gained considerable notoriety because Englehart was charged before a segmented hair analysis, which is used to help determine a timeline indicating when a medication was administered, was performed. Englehart was not issued a provisional suspension, but, along with his attorney, had to request the additional test, the results of which supported Englehart’s contention. In the meantime, Englehart’s reputation suffered.

The USTA has long opposed HISA because of its lack of transparency, accountability, and representation. The Association, along with the National Horsemen’s Benevolent Association, has introduced the Racehorse Health and Safety Act of 2023 (RHSA), a science-based, industry-supported bill that would create a regulatory infrastructure providing uniform medication and safety policies while avoiding the constitutional, fairness and cost issues that plague HISA.

Columbus, OH — In his Thoroughbred Daily News story, Bill Finley reported, “Originally charged with administering Clenbuterol to his horse and facing a possible two-year suspension, trainer Jeffrey Englehart was cleared Friday (Feb. 23) by the Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU).

HIWU has dropped its case against Thoroughbred trainer Jeffrey Englehart. Bill Denver/Equi-Photo.

“The positive was found in an unraced, unnamed horse out of the mare Fast Heart that Englehart purchased for $14,000 at the OBS auction on June 15.

“He argued that he did not give the horse the drug and that it was had to have been given to the horse prior to his purchase at OBS.

“Englehart and his attorney requested that HIWU perform a segmented hair test colt, which can provide a time line for when a drug is administered. HIWU had the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California, Davis perform the segmented test and it revealed that the Clenbuterol was in fact administered before Englehart became the trainer.”

To read more about the latest developments in the Englehart case on Thoroughbred Daily News, click here.